The New Age of Vegas
by WordSmith1916
Summary: The Courier has spent years building his new nation, but now a great threat looms on the horizon. This is my first story, so any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1 and 2

Chapter 1

2287: Wolfe Hunter looked out over the city of New Vegas. The 31 year old was dressed formally, black suit jacket and pants, black shoes, a white shirt and a red waistcoat and dickey-bow. As always, he had his Bowie knife in its sheath on his left side and his 10mm pistol, with silencer and laser sight, on his right. His black hair and beard, both streaked with grey, were tightly cropped, not that you could see his hair under the beret he was wearing. Steely grey eyes peered out through his glasses, admiring the lights of the city. His city. Officially, now that he had been elected President in the Vegas Free State's first ever general election. It had taken him, and his allies, over six years to build and rebuild Vegas into the power it was now, and it had all started that night he'd been shot in the head.

He couldn't remember much of his early life. The faces of friends and family were either blurry or non-existent, a result of meeting the business end of Maria, Benny's 9mm pistol. What he did know was that he'd been born in Shady Sands, capitol of the New California Republic, in 2256, and had joined the army at about 14 or 15. His excellent marksmanship had seen Wolfe rise until, at 20, he was accepted into First Recon, the elite sniper unit. It was also around this time he realised that he hated taking orders. When the time came to re-enlist, he simply walked away. His only remaining connections to First Recon were his sniping skills and the red beret that he still wore to this day.

What followed was a series of mercenary jobs which, although well paid, lacked the sense of freedom that Wolfe craved. Eventually, he found himself working as a freelance courier, roaming the wastelands and seeing what was left of the world. And he loved every second of it. That is, until that fateful day in 2281 that he'd arrived in Primm and been given an oversized poker chip to deliver to the Strip. What followed was nearly being killed, hunting down the man responsible and taking revenge, discovering a plot far bigger than him, and in the end seizing control of the entire Mojave Wasteland.

Wolfe ended up killing Mr. House, the ruler the Strip, and using the Lucky 38 as a base of operations. Under the pretence of assisting the NCR (although he did a lot of that as well) he began recruiting or removing the various factions in the wasteland. He convinced the Great Khans to move Northwest, gained the support of the Boomers, removed the cannibalistic element of the White Glove Society and killed the Legion-allied leaders of the Omeretas. He had also single-handedly massacred the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. As it turned out, the poker chip he had been supposed to deliver was a powerful software upgrade for House's Securitrons, and the key to an army of them under the Fort. After slaughtering any trace of the Legion on the Vegas side of the Colorado and recruiting the Remnants of the Enclave to fight for him, Wolfe led his troops across the dam during the battle and confronted Legate Lanius; the new Caesar after Wolfe had shot the previous one in the face with a shotgun. He proceeded to slay Lanius in single combat, claiming his mask and blade as trophies, before turning around and, with help from his new army of upgraded Securitrons, convincing General Oliver Lee to surrender and remove NCR troops from the Mojave.

The first thing Wolfe had done after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam was issue a declaration. In it he stated that any Raider or criminal operating in the Mojave would be given amnesty should the join the new nation's army. As he expected, the shattered remains of the Powder Gangers, including those who had failed the Khan's initiation ritual, were only too eager to join up, as were a number of NCR and even Legion deserters. The other Raider groups, like the Fiends, Vipers, Jackals and Scorpions, proved more reluctant, and found themselves facing the dangerous end of his Securitrons' Gatling lasers. Those who accepted the offer, along with the Vegas locals and NCR squatters who signed up, were trained at Camp McCarran by his army officers; General Judah Kreger, Colonel Orion Moreno, Colonel Cannibal Johnson, Colonel Craig Boone, and Colonel Christine Royce. Those who proved themselves exceptional in combat were moved to Hidden Valley to continue training under Kreger, Moreno, and Johnson. These soldiers made up Wolfe's power-armoured units.

The second thing he'd done was to claim sovereignty over not only the Mojave, but also Zion Canyon and the ruins of the Divide. Few disputed his claim. Squads of Securitrons were sent into the Divide with the sole purpose of salvaging the gold mine of weaponry that was stored there, and returning it to Vegas. Zion was pretty much left alone. Wolfe also had the Think Tank at Big MT develop a material that could resist the corrosive cloud in the Sierra Madre, and construct Securitrons out of it. These robots were used to clear the casino and villa of weaponry, valuables, and technology, especially the gold from the casino vault and the miracle vending machines. Those two recoveries set the Vegas economy on its feet. Cloud residue was also collected and sold to the bars and casinos, where the Sierra Madre Martini became increasingly popular.

Wolfe looked around the penthouse of the Lucky 38. Where once the shelves had been piled high with pre-war books, most of those had been donated to the Silver Rush Library, run by the Followers of the Apocalypse in Freeside. Instead they were now filed with the trinkets and trophies of Wolfe's travels and battles and victories. Lanius' mask and blade, the power-fist of Salt-Upon-Wounds, tribal leader of the White Legs, Maria, Benny's pistol, and many others. Wolfe sighed and sat down, waiting for the other members of his country's first government to arrive.

The first was Judah, representing the Military. Next came Swank, Marjorie, and Cachino, the leaders of the Chairmen, White Glove Society and the Omeretas respectively. Then came the King from Freeside and Tom Anderson from Westside. Loyal from Nelis, Marcus from Jacobstown, and Neil from Black Mountain. Sunny from Goodsprings, Beagle from Primm, Chomps from Sloan and Jason Bright from Novac. Captain Giles from Bitter Springs. Crandon from North Vegas. The representatives of the rebuilt Nipton, Nelson, Cottenwood Cove, Vaults 3, 11, 19 and 22, Cass from the Mojave Caravan Company, Ike from Boulder City and Arcade to represent the Followers. The last to arrive was the representative of Alcatraz, a small town set up in the ruins of the NCR Correctional Facility by NCR immigrants. "Well," said Wolfe, "Let's get down to business". He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. There was a very special guest arriving today.

Chapter 2

Star Paladin Chris Waters sat as still as a rock as the Vertibird approached their destination. Across from him, Knight Arthur Maxson was fidgeting, as he had been doing for the entire trip. Chris knew Arthur looked up to him, but the boy had never been good with Vertibirds. Chris thought of Arthur as a boy since the first time they'd met he'd only been 10 years old, however Chris had to keep reminding himself that ten years had passed since then. Still, he wished Sarah hadn't assigned the young knight to this mission. He would have felt better with Gallows or Dusk watching his back out here. Still, Arthur wasn't the worst backup to have. Chris had trained him to use energy weapons himself, and he was a good shot with the Telsa Cannon on his back, and the plasma pistol on his hip. Both of them were dressed in Brotherhood of Steel power armour. Of course, with the technology available to the Brotherhood in the east, their energy weapons and power armour were light-years ahead of anything else you would find in the wasteland. Light-weight, super-durable, and far more powerful than the standard. Chris didn't have a Telsa Cannon. Instead, he had a black laser rifle on his back. The rifle's name was Metal Blaster, and he'd picked it up during his time in The Pitt. On his left hip was his trusty combat knife, Occam's razor. He'd claimed it from Commander Jabsco of Talon Company during his assault on Fort Bannister. Both he and Arthur had five plasma grenades each strapped across their chests. They weren't just ready to fight. They were ready for war.

"Approaching New Vegas, ETA 10 minutes" called back the pilot, a tall red haired woman who went by the name of Torch. Clad in Brotherhood Recon armour, she had what appeared to be a sword on her left hip, and a laser pistol on her right. Chris looked at Arthur, and as expected found his gaze lingering on the back of Torch's head. He grinned and snapped his fingers in Arthur's face. "You wouldn't even think we just spent 20 hours straight stuck in here, would you?" he laughed, and the other two joined in. Soon, the Vertibird began to descend, on top of a building that was apparently being used as the NCR embassy. Six figures waited for them on the roof. Four were clad in power armour, of which three were wielding Gauss Rifles and one had a plasma caster. The fifth man was dressed in a tuxedo and a red beret, and he appeared to be unarmed. Beside him floated something Chris had hoped he would never have to see again; an Enclave Eyebot. "Keep your weapons ready" he muttered. Arthur and Torch nodded.

Once the Vertibird had touched down the three of them descended onto the roof. Chris stepped forward, as did the man in the tuxedo. The man extended his hand. "President Wolfe Hunter, at your service" he smiled. Chris took his hand and shook it, replying "Star Paladin Chris Waters, we spoke via radio last month". "Yes, I remember" said Wolfe "I'll show you and your companions to your rooms and then tomorrow we can get down to business". He turned and walked towards the stairs, the Eyebot following him. His power-armoured guards never took their eyes off the trio. Chris would have preferred to get right down to business, but this was Wolfe's territory. They were playing by his rules now. "Are we staying in the embassy then?" Arthur asked one of the guards, the one with the plasma caster. "No" he replied "you're being set up in the Lucky 38; hotel, casino, and seat of government. Although it hasn't been used as a casino in hundreds of years". As long as Chris could find a bottle of Scotch he'd be happy to sleep in the Vertibird. But still they followed after Wolfe and his Eyebot, the guards still watching their every move.

The room in the Lucky 38 was definitely five-star. After removing his power armour, setting down his weaponry and changing into camo trousers and a white t-shirt, Chris checked the mini-fridge and sure enough found a bottle of Scotch. His father had always loved Scotch. He had just poured himself a glass when there was a knock on the door. He yelled that it was open and Arthur and Torch walked in. They were both dressed exactly the same as he was. Chris's t-shirt showed off the shiny metallic plating that not just covered, but actually made up his right arm. Curtesy of Talon Company, he had been caught in a plasma booby-trap without his armour, just outside Megaton. The Brotherhood Scribes had done everything they could, replacing his right arm and left leg (from just above the knee) with robotic titanium replacements. The titanium plating also extended over the right side of his chest, and his right lung had been replaced by machinery. Aside from all that, he was perfectly intact, although not quite human. Doctor Lesko in Grayditch had given him a mutagenic bio-enhancer, which improved his sight beyond human limits and made his skin highly resistant to flame damage. On top of that, an experiment with Moira Brown involving massive amounts of radiation resulted in Chris developing a mutation. Although he could still die of radiation poisoning, exposure to radiation caused his physical wounds like cuts and broken bones to heal rapidly. Rothchild had told him that the ability was similar to the mutation found in Ghouls, without being immune to radiation poisoning or looking like a corpse. Chris wasn't too bothered about not being entirely human. In his mind, nobody in the wasteland was, and aside from the Enclave nobody made a big deal out of it.

He poured two more glasses and invited Arthur and Torch to sit, to which they happily obliged. "Tell me," he said, sipping his Scotch, "what are your first impressions?". Torch was the first to speak. "The city is heavily protected, both by those Securitron robots and by human soldiers. Their weaponry is high grade, very good condition, and they're all armed to the teeth. I'm pretty sure I saw at least one who'd filed his teeth to points as well. Most of the soldiers use conventional guns, energy weapons seem to be concentrated with the ones in power armour. Most soldiers' armour seems to be based off the old Desert Ranger gear, right down to the helmet. The power armour is a mix of T-45b and T-51b models. Not as advanced as our newer models, but still sturdy and obviously functional. It seems as though it's common for units to be accompanied by cyberdogs as well". Chris nodded approvingly at the young knight's keen perception. "And what do you think of our host, Arthur?" he asked. Arthur swallowed his Scotch and took a minute to get over the strong taste. "Well," he replied when he'd recovered, "he doesn't give much away. Plays his cards close to his chest. I don't trust that Eyebot of his, but so far he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him". Chris looked at both of the knights in front of him and stood up. "The key words in that sentence are 'so far'. We're thousands of miles from backup if things go wrong and the only help we have is from a man we're not even sure we can trust. This mission is one of the most important objectives the Brotherhood has ever undertaken. We need to find out if President Wolfe is our ally, and if not, how we can make sure he doesn't interfere. Make no mistake. If we fail here, humanity falls with us".


	2. Chapter 3

_Hey, so I'm still trying to figure out this site and that means that chapter 2 here is technically chapter three of the story. sorry about that._

Chapter 3.

In the middle of the night, Cottonwood Cove was silent as the grave. All of its residents were fast asleep, while three Securitrons quietly patrolled the small town. On the banks of the Colorado there was a sudden splashing sound. One of the Securitrons noticed and went to investigate. A man rose up from the river, water dripping from his muscular form. He was at least seven foot tall, built like he had been training since birth, and his skin was the colour of ebony. Despite his swim in the river, his Mohawk stood tall and proud on his head, and his goatee was still dripping. On his hip was a deadly sharp machete, and on his back was a massive super sledge. His armour was that of a centurion of Caesar's Legion. The Securitron shined a spotlight on him and aimed its Gatling laser. "Identify yourself" came the robotic warning. The man raised his hands above his head in surrender. "My name is Brutus, former Centurion of the Legion and War Chief of my new tribe, the Bloodbulls. I come with a warning. My tribe is dead. Arizona is dead. And Vegas is next".


	3. Chapter 4

_(Thanks to everyone who has read the story so far, and thanks to John Pascal for the feedback, hope the dialogue is easier to read this time)_

Chapter 4.

The next morning, Wolfe sat in the penthouse waiting for Chris. He had no idea what the Eastern chapter of the Brotherhood wanted with him, or why it was so urgent, but his main worry was that it concerned the Mojave Brotherhood. Part of him was afraid that Chris and his knights were a hit squad sent to exact revenge. He pulled out his 10mm pistol and looked at it. He had modded the pistol during his travels with a silencer, a laser sight, and extended mags. It was a silent and deadly weapon, suited to a man who preferred to have the element of surprise over his enemies. He holstered the gun and patted his Bowie knife, Blood-nap, where it was sheathed on his hip. Hopefully he wouldn't need either of them during this meeting, but you never can be sure.

"Our esteemed guest has arrived sir!" came the annoyingly cheery voice of Yes Man.

Wolfe looked up at the elevator and sure enough, out stepped Chris. White t-shirt, camo trousers, black boots. A combat knife in plain sight on his hip.

"Thank you Yes Man. Paladin, please have a seat".

Wolfe walked over to his desk and sat behind it, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. When Chris had taken his seat Wolfe asked

"Can I offer you a drink?".

Chris thought for a moment and nodded.

"Scotch would be great".

Wolfe smiled and called out

"Yes Man, have one of the Securitrons bring up a bottle of our best Scotch".

He then reached into the drawer of the desk and pulled out a cigar, offering it across the table. Chris simply shook his head. Wolfe lit the cigar and took a drag before saying

"Business then?".

Both men looked at each other. They each could tell that the other was not an average man. They had been to hell and back and both had survived. Chris broke the silence first.

"What I'm about to share with you is highly classified information. Under normal circumstances the Brotherhood would simply handle this ourselves, but outside events have forced us to bring third parties into the fold, you being chief among them. Before I tell you anything, I need to know that I can trust you".

Wolfe stood up from the desk and walked to the window, still puffing on his Cuban. It seemed like a long time passed before he spoke.

"In the East, the Brotherhood are the champions and defenders of the people, am I correct?".

Chris muttered a positive response as Wolfe turned around.

"In the Mojave, this was not the case. The Brotherhood here was insular and aggressive. They stole technology from anyone they came across and weren't afraid to kill or maim to get what they wanted. Not all of them, you understand. My friend Veronica was a scribe with the order, and thought more like you and your brothers. But she eventually was forced to make the choice to either cease her treasonous rhetoric, or leave the Brotherhood forever. When she chose the latter, a hit squad followed her and me and massacred a group of doctors of the Followers of the Apocalypse. She's currently working in the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside. I hope you see that, from my experience of them, the brotherhood here were nothing more than Raiders in power armour. So I killed them". He looked Chris dead in the eye as he said it. "I had to make sure that if I took control of the Mojave, the people here would be safe. The Brotherhood was a threat to the people of New Vegas and I removed it. It didn't give me any pleasure, but it had to be done. If they'd listened when Veronica and I tried to tell them… I gave them that chance and they turned it down".

Chris drank his Scotch in silence, his eyes never leaving Wolfe's face.

"We suspected as much" he sighed after a while.

Running his hands through his messy auburn hair, he finished his drink and set the glass down on the table.

"For the most part, The Brotherhood has been more adept at making enemies than friends. If more chapters had followed the example of Owyn Lyons and actually tried to make the world a better place the wasteland might not be as bad as it is"

"Is Elder Lyons still in charge of the Brotherhood in D.C?" asked Wolfe.

"No, he sadly passed away 5 years ago, aged 80. His daughter, my wife, Sarah is our new Elder"

"Do you miss her?"

"Of course I do, and our children" came the reply as Chris pulled a photo out of his pocket and showed it to Wolfe. "Marie is our adopted daughter, she's eleven. Then there's James, he's 6, and little Owyn is 4"

Wolfe examined the photo. The family of five seemed to be perfectly happy. Sarah Lyons was a beautiful woman, yet she seemed to have aura of toughness around her. Marie had messy black hair and a look that said it all. She had seen things no eleven year old should see, the kind of things that make the wasteland a ruthless and unforgiving place. Both of the boys had inherited their mother's blonde hair, but their facial structure more closely resembled their father. He handed the photo back.

"That's a beautiful family, it must have been something important that convinced you to come on this mission"

Chris looked at the photo and nodded. "You trusted me with your secret, a secret that could have gotten you killed given who you're talking to. So here's our secret. About 11 months ago the Brotherhood staged a full-scale assault on Vault 87, the home of the super mutants in D.C. We lost a lot of good people, but we finally managed to take the vault and cut off their supply of F.E.V. Their number have been dwindling ever since. We imploded the vault after stripping all of its working technology and data, but we also took a lot of samples of the F.E.V that we found, and brought it back to the Citadel to be examined. The Scribe in charge of that project was Scribe Carpenter. She was very smart and very ambitious. She was also involved in another project the Brotherhood has been working on. This is even more top secret and under normal circumstances, I'd be court-martialled for even mentioning it"

Wolfe had sat back down at the desk, intrigued by the story being woven by Chris. He was a little bit uneasy about the thoughts of a super mutant genocide, given that he had super mutant friends and two members of his government were super mutants, but decided to let the Paladin continue.

"About ten years ago, we came into contact with aliens"

Chris paused to allow that piece of information to sink in. He was surprised when Wolfe merely nodded for him to keep going.

"I was abducted and trapped on board their ship, but with help from some other captives we managed to overpower the alien and take over the ship. Alien technology is what makes our weapons, armour, and Vertibirds more powerful and efficient, on top of the medical technology we were able to recover. My companions killed every alien aboard the ship, even the unarmed ones, and eventually their bodies were returned to earth to be examined at the Citadel. This was the other project Scribe Carpenter was working on. At some point, she decided to test the effect of F.E.V on the alien DNA we had preserved. Because the experiment was refused approval by Scribe Rothchild, she worked alone and in secret. And then there was an accident. Some kind of explosion in the laboratory while everyone else was asleep. We're still not sure what happened, but our guess is that Carpenter was infected with an alien infused strain of F.E.V. Before we could quarantine her, she fled, leaving this message"

Chris activated the recording on his pip-boy, and a woman's voice filled the room.

"I am evolved. The super mutants were a failure, an evolutionary step backwards to a time of brutality and senselessness. But these aliens; they are the future. I have taken the first step in achieving the perfect that these godlike beings have ascended to. Julie Carpenter is dead, a necessary loss in the evolutionary chain. I am the Queen, and all shall bow before me"

The recording ended and Chris looked back at Wolfe, whose face was now creased with worry.

"We know she headed east, and we know that people have been disappearing in an almost straight line from the Capital Wasteland to Vegas. The worrying part is that when we examined some of her DNA that she left behind during her escape, we found that the virus is replicating itself. She may have the ability to produce more of it and infect others. We need your help to catch her here before she has a chance to move on. The super mutant threat on the East Coast is dead, and I can't let one of our own start it all over again"

Wolfe was just about to respond when Yes Man interrupted.

"Sir, two Securitrons from Cottonwood Cove have checked a prisoner into Camp McCarran. Something about Arizona being dead and a threat to the Vegas Free State"

Wolfe's face dropped even further as he realised that the threat to his nation might be closer than he could ever have imagined.


	4. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Wolfe still remembered the interrogation room in Camp McCarran. Years ago, he had pried information from a captured centurion in this room. And now there was another centurion sitting in front of him. For a man who had allegedly seen his entire tribe slaughtered, Brutus was sitting quite calmly in the small grey room, looking Wolfe dead in the eye. They sized each other up for a few minutes. Wolfe looked the massive burly man up and down. He had obviously been training since he could walk. And he was proud of it. All the weapons he had carried across the river were close combat melee weapons. Not even a single throwing spear, which was uncommon among Caesar's Legion. That told Wolfe that Brutus enjoyed the kill, or at least enjoyed feeling his own power to make the kill. A ranged weapon would take the fun out of his sport. He liked to get up close and personal. Brutus was also making his own deductions, however his were coloured by the stories he had heard about The Courier. His first thought was about the glasses. This was a man so famed as a sniper that legionaries had stopped lighting camp fires during the war, in the hope that darkness would protect them. How does a man with that level of accuracy need glasses? He wasn't that big either, but the legends say he killed Lanius with a gun the size of a Deathclaw. He was fully geared for battle as well. His Elite Riot Armour was in pristine condition, as was the silenced sniper rifle on his back. But his eyes were what marked him as a warrior. The stone-cold eyes of a man who would kill anyone who threatened him or what he loved.

"Tell me about this threat" Wolfe said, breaking the silence.

Brutus continued to stare at him for a minute, then spoke, his voice hushed and controlled.

"They came in the night, screaming like the devils of Hades. We never stood a chance. We couldn't even kill one. When most of our warriors had fallen they herded the rest of us into a circle to wait. To wait for the Queen. She walked among the creatures with no fear, and they parted for her without any command. Then, she touched my tribe. She touched them on the forehead and blessed them, told them they would be stronger when they served her. After that we were taken underground, and over the next few days my people began to turn, becoming inhuman. The Queen said that a she needed a palace from which to rule, and we would help her take New Vegas so that she could rule over the Wasteland".

Wolfe took all this information in before asking;

"Why weren't you turned?"

"Some of us were not touched; we were to serve as food for her soldiers. One night, I strangled the guard and with a few others grabbed whatever weapons we could find and made a run for it. I am the only one who survived the escape".

Wolfe believed the man's story. This confirmed the worst fears that Chris had expressed about the Queen, that she was turning the wastelanders into her own army. But he needed more. What he had wouldn't help him defend New Vegas from the threat that now faced it.

"I have three questions" he said, leaning closer to the centurion. "Where are they? What weapons do they have? And when are they going to attack?"

Brutus thought long and hard before answering, his brow furrowed. Other than his face his body was completely still.

"I do not know where they are. It was dark when I escaped and I did not pay attention to where I was going; only that it was away from the Queen and her army. They do not use weaponry, the creatures strength and claw are like a Deathclaw's, more than enough to kill any man. Finally, they will attack soon. How soon, I cannot specify, but it will be soon".

Wolfe stood up straight and left the room. Outside were ED-E, Judah, Yes Man in a Securitron's body, Boone, and Chris. The four men exchanged a look, a look that any soldier knows all too well. A look that said it was time for war.

Outside, Wolfe was standing next to his motorcycle, ED-E floating right behind him. In the years since the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, great strides had been made in recovering transport technology. Between the energy research the Followers had pulled off ED-E's hard-drives, the re-opening of several factories across the Mojave, and a little help from the Think Tank, fusion and solar-powered vehicles were back on the roads. The amount was limited, however, by the cost of building them. So far, they were solely used for the military, with the exception f Wolfe's motorcycle. Yes Man had left the Securitron and returned his AI to the Lucky 38. Chris had boarded the monorail back to the Strip, eager to share his new info with the rest of his team.

"What will we do with the Brutus guy?" asked Boone.

"Leave him where he is for now" replied Wolfe. "I need to get some space to think. Radio me by any means necessary if an attack begins".

With that, he sped off through the gates of Camp McCarran on his bike, ED-E trailing close behind.


	5. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Brutus sat alone in the interrogation room, picking at the stitching on a cut on his arm. He thought about the Courier, the man who had killed Caesar. Not just Caesar, but Legate Lanius, Vulpes Inculta, and Lucius, leader of the Praetorian Guards. The only three men who could have held the Legion together after the death of Caesar. Without them, the Legion fell apart in a matter of months. The strong had gathered up followers and returned to the old tribal ways. Those left behind tried to cross into Vegas as refugees, some even joining the new state's army. Arizona, once the home of the safest trading routes outside of the NCR, was reduced to an untamed wilderness of warring tribes. It was as if Caesar had never risen up in the first place. But Caesar had been a god. For surely the Son of Mars was a god by birthright? What then was the Courier? A man who could kill a god and walk away with his life: now that was true power.

The stitching in his wound was starting to come undone. Blood was dripping down his arm and pooling on the floor. He remembered to battle on the Dam all too well. At first the Legion had made great headway, cutting through the profligates like butter. Then, the Courier had arrived. With him had been a crazy group of warriors. The flying robot that followed him everywhere. A dog that was half animal and half machine. A profligate sniper. A woman who reeked of whiskey. A ghoul dressed as a cowboy. Another woman with a powerfist. And most terrifying, a super mutant in a straw hat, swinging a massive sword through its enemies. With them was one of the robots that attacked the Fort, a Securitron. They charged across the Dam, rescuing the profligates and slaughtering Legion warriors. Then, a vessel descended from the sky, and dropped a group of soldiers in power armour that started killing legionnaires. While all this fighting was raging across the Dam, a plane flew overhead, dropping bombs on Legion positions. Then Khans never showed up to aid the Legion either, cowards. It all ended when the Courier confronted the Legate though. They had traded insults and threats, until Lanius charged with his blade. The Courier had a huge machine-gun that barked like a dog, and he had gunned the Legate down before he could close the distance. To his shame, Brutus had fled after he watched Lanius' body being stripped of his mask and crucified. The Legion had truly died with the Legate on that battlefield.

The wound in Brutus' arm was completely open now. Grimacing, he reached into the wound and pulled out the bobby pin hidden beneath his skin. Leaving a trail of blood, he moved to the door and began to pick the lock. The Courier had brought down the Legion. Now Brutus would return the favour. The lock clicked open and he snuck outside. The guard posted in his room ahd fallen asleep in a chair. Smiling, Brutus grabbed his neck and crushed his windpipe, killing him without a sound. Stripping the guard, he dressed himself in his armour and put on his helmet. The armour was ill-fitting and the helmet was constricting his head, but it would hide his identity. He walked out of the room and headed towards the monorail, the plan going better than he could have hoped.

Nobody on the Strip paid any notice to the tall figure in the ranger combat armour. This was going to be the trickiest part of the plan. Walking over to a dropbox and pulled out a package. Inside were at least five pulse grenades. Brutus walked into the Lucky 38 and immediately tossed two of the grenades, disabling the Securitrons on the ground floor. Wasting no time, he entered the elevator and set it to bring him to the penthouse. The rest of the pulse grenades took care of the Securitrons up here. He made his way to the giant computer and once again reached into the wound on his arm, this time pulling out a small USB key. The screen on the computer flickered to life, showing a huge smiling face.

"Hi there!" exclaimed Yes Man "I hope you're not planning anything bold now".

Brutus ignored him and plugged in the USB key. He took a deep breath, his vengeance at hand.

"Long live the Queen".

Then he hit enter.


	6. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Red Rock Canyon was quite as the grave. During the battle at the Dam, the Great Khans had packed up and moved off, heading north. The only traces that the Great Khans had ever made it their home were the small house on the ridge and the circular arena in the centre. Wolfe was crouched at the edge of that area, his sniper rifle in his hands. Three targets were set up on the other side. Taking a deep breath, he let off three shots in rapid succession. Three bullseyes. He was just reloading when he heard a voice behind him.

"You were always a little too good with that rifle Boss"

Wolfe grinned and turned to face the speaker. Raul hadn't changed in the five years since Wolfe had last seen him. He was still wearing that vaquero outfit, and still had his .44 magnum revolver on his hip. Standing up, he walked over and embraced the ghoul for a moment before saying

"It's been years old friend".

"Too long Boss, I think I was starting to miss you a little bit".

The two friends sat on the ground, with ED-E hovering beside them, and began talking. Wolfe brought Raul up to date on the development of the Vegas Free State, and the new threat that had arisen.

"But what I want to know is where you've been for the past five years".

Raul grimaced as he remembered the ordeals he had gone through in the last half a decade.

"Arizona was the first place I went. Legion had fallen apart. Rape and murder everywhere. Thought I could do some good, maybe protect some settlements, but there's nothing to protect. If you're not part of the hundred or so tribes who are all trying to kill each other you've got zero chance of survival. So I moved on, headed back to Mexico. Things were a bit better there. At least there were clear lines in the sand. If they were living in a settlement and weren't killing people, I didn't shoot them. If they were a raider going around doing wrong, I shot them. I'd like to think I did some good out there, but I'm only one man and I'm getting old"

He laughed as he finished. Raul's age was a running joke between him and Wolfe. Even as they laughed ED-E's speakers began to spark to life. A panicked voice began to speak from the static.

"Mr. President Sir! I was told to contact you on this frequency. Everything is going to hell here Sir! The entire Securitron network is down and there's creatures ripping us apart. They've already cleared out the eastern ranger outposts and they're swarming McCarran. We're heard reports that they're trying to overrun the Strip as well. General Kreger is ordering an evacuation to Hidden Valley and we're moving out now. One last thing Sir. The Lucky 38 has gone dark".

A voice in the background shouted that they were moving out, and the static died. Wolfe was silent for a minute, then ran to his motorcycle with Raul and ED-E following. He hoped on and started it up. ED-E settled into his holster on the front of the bike and Raul jumped on behind him. Wolfe kick-started the bike and they sped off, blood-red clouds of dust swirling behind them.


	7. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

Laser fire flashed through the streets of New Vegas as the rattling and booming of gunfire deafened anyone stupid enough to still be out in the open. And one of those stupid people was Chris Waters. Unlike the soldiers around him, he recognised the monsters swarming the city and ripping people limb from limb. _Abominations_. Feral hybrids of human and alien DNA that attacked anything in sight.

"This must be what the Queen is transforming the wastelanders into, using the FEV as a delivery system for the alien DNA"

Even as he fired Metal Blaster again and again the scientist in Chris wanted to figure out exactly what made this mutation tick. To his right Arthur was using his plasma pistol to bring down the Abominations, his Tesla Cannon next to useless in such close quarters. Occasionally the air would shimmer around one of the creatures and, in a sizzle of electricity, their head would sever from their bodies. Chris couldn't help smiling beneath his helmet at that. The Mark II recon armour and shock sword were working perfectly for Torch. They couldn't hold out in the open for much longer though. Chris knew they had to get back to The Lucky 38 if they were going to survive the onslaught. He saw a New Vegas soldier with a shoulder mounted machine gun torn in half by three Abominations, and even the power-armoured units were struggling to hold back the tide of monsters. The queen must have transformed nearly every wastelander between D.C and Vegas to create an army this big. The streets were literally overflowing with blood while the various New Vegas families took pot shots at the Abominations from the windows of their casinos.

"Fall back!" he roared at the two young knights, just as he tossed a plasma grenade into a cluster of the creatures.

They made it through the gate just in time to see Wolfe, accompanied by his eyebot, a ghoul in a cowboy outfit, and a woman with a power fist, forcing their way in from Freeside. Chris watched as Wolfe grabbed one of his soldiers and roared at him to evacuate everybody off the street. The two groups met outside the doors of the Lucky 38.

"What the hell is going on?!" shouted Wolfe.

"The Abominations, they're like the alien experiments I saw ten years ago. They just scaled the walls and started attacking" replied Chris.

"Boss, they're not trying to get in anywhere" interjected the ghoul.

Sure enough, as he looked around at the carnage, Chris realised the ghoul was right. None of the Abominations were attempting to force their way inside any of the houses or casinos.

"It is the wish of the Queen, that some may survive to worship her" came a deep voice.

Brutus stood tall on the step of the casino, his gloating smile raising the hairs on the back of Chris' neck.

"Now, you shall know how it is to have your army taken from you, your people scattered, and your pride in ruins. Now, Courier, you sha-"

His words were cut off by a 10mm bullet fired silently from Wolfe's pistol.

"Well now we know how they shut down the Securitrons" muttered Wolfe.

As the body of Brutus fell to the ground, two Abominations grabbed Chris from behind. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was their claws tearing into his armour, and his metallic limbs being torn to shreds.

Raul spun into action as the Paladin's maimed body was tossed aside. Two shots from his revolver right between the eyes and the Abominations dropped. He ran to Chris and inspected the damage. His power armour was in ruins and his robotic limbs were destroyed. On top of all that, the metallic side of his chest had deep claw marks carved into it. Chris didn't just need urgent medical attention. He needed a robotics expert to fix this level of damage. Wolfe was beginning to see that the situation was hopeless. Most of his soldiers in the Strip and surrounding areas were either fleeing or dead, and the bulk of his army had retreated to Hidden Valley. It wasn't that the Abominations were impossible to kill; they were maybe a little less difficult than Deathclaws. The problem was their numbers. For everyone they killed two more took its place. The Queen would take Vegas today; the only question was if he'd be alive to retake it tomorrow. In that moment, he decided the answer was yes.

"Grab your boss" he shouted at Knight Maxson, "Everybody gather around me and hold on".

As soon as the group was together he pulled out his Big Mountain Transportalponder and began to pull the trigger. Just before they disappeared, Wolfe saw the figure of a woman stroll casually through the gate to Freeside, flanked on either side by hulking Abominations. Wolfe vowed revenge on that woman in that moment. The last person he had sworn vengeance on had been hunted across the Mojave and executed in his own private suite. The Queen could have her battle. Wolfe had lost battles before. The war was all that mattered, and Wolfe had never lost a war.


	8. Chapter 9

_Sorry I haven't posted in so long guys, I've been a bit busy with work, etc. Can't promise when the next chapter is coming but it will be ASAP._

Chapter 9.

It had been one month since the Queen and her army of Abominations had taken over the Vegas Free State. Several of the more isolated communities, like Alcatraz and Jacobstown, had managed to stave off the creatures and remain unconquered, but much of the Mojave had fallen. Those who didn't resist were spared though, so after the initial invasion the loss of life was minimal. The bulk of the New Vegas army were holed up in Hidden Valley, waiting for orders. Smaller groups were hiding out in several locations across the wasteland, including safehouses formerly belonging to the NCR, Legion, Brotherhood of Steel, and Followers, as well as the bunker east of Nelson and the remnants bunker. The four working vaults had sealed themselves shortly after the attack had started. As they had done for years, the Boomers used their impressive artillery to fend off the Queen's army, the Vertibirds and planes of the Vegas air force protected and ready to go. The Strip had come out worst off though. Any traveller who somehow hadn't heard about the invasion turned and fled the city when they saw the Abominations. Gangs of them replaced the Securitrons across the Mojave. Tourism was the lifeblood of the city, and now nobody wanted to go near the place. Almost as an act of gloating, the motionless bodies of the Securitrons had been left where they had fallen, strewn across the Mojave.

Wolfe had been in contact with Kreger in Hidden Valley for the last three weeks. When the Strip had fallen, he'd teleported himself, ED-E, Raul, Veronica, Chris, Arthur and Torch to the Big MT. Chris had been in a coma since they'd arrived. His wounds had been healed, and his cyborg parts repaired and upgraded by Dr. Mobius. The robotics were greatly improved, and the titanium plating had been replaced with saturnite, making it lighter and stronger. A few extras had been added to his right arm as well. His index finger contained a lockpicking mechanism, and his fist could deliver an EMP pulse to anything he punched. Most impressive was the retractable stinger that came out beneath his wrist. With some help from Dala and Borous, Wolfe had bioengineered a poison gland within the robotic arm that produced a constant supply of the toxin known as Tremble. He was sure Chris would be delighted with his upgrades when he woke up. For now though, he slept in the Sink's medical bay.

Arthur sat down beside Veronica as she cleaned her power fist.

"You used to be part of the Brotherhood, right?" he blurted out.

She gave him a cold, hard look before she answered.

"I was. Then I became fed up of slowly dying in a hole in the ground. Of knowing most of the people in the wasteland wish you were dead. Of having all this knowledge and technology that could help so many people and not being able to do anything with it. So I left. I left and they tried to kill me. I'm sad that they all died in that hole, but I knew it was going to happen".

There was so much pain in her voice, that Arthur was almost afraid to ask the next question. He already knew the true answer, and he also knew that Veronica didn't. Some part of him still felt like he needed to ask though.

"Do you know how it happened?"

"NCR. They sent a covert ops team in to take out the Brotherhood, I've seen the mission files. Three man team, their real names are never used in the files, just code names; Zombie, Headshot, and Richardson. I'd guess that they were Rangers".

Arthur knew that Zombie was Wolfe, who'd once risen from the grave, Headshot was the sniper, Boone, and Richardson was ED-E, but bit his tongue on revealing that information. Wolfe had killed off and entire chapter of the Brotherhood. With Chris still in a coma, Arthur didn't fancy his chances against the former courier.

Just then Raul and Torch joined the two of them, setting down Ice-cold Nuka-Colas in front of them. Arthur gratefully picked up his and took a swig.

"So" began Raul, "Tell us about your Boss. What kind of man is he?"

Arthur knew if there was any story that showed exactly what kind of man Chris was, it was the story of Dashwood Tower.

"In the Capital Wasteland, there's a huge building that was once named Tenpenny Tower. The guy who owned it was a ghoul hater and a sadistic prick. His favourite hobby was sniping wastelanders from the top of his tower. This was all during the time just after Chris's dad had died. He'd gone a bit dark side, falling in with the slavers and working as a merc. There were two reasons the Chris went to Tenpenny Tower. One was that he'd been paid to kill Allister Tenpenny, the other was that Paradise Falls wanted a woman from the Tower named Susan. While there, he got distracted. Tenpenny offered him money to get rid of a bunch of ghouls who were trying to get access to the tower so they could live there. They were being led by a ghoul called Roy Philips. Chris went down into the metro tunnels to kill them, but something changed his mind. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope left in that hopeless man. Whatever the reason, he convinced Philips and the ghouls to forget about revenge, then turned around and convinced the residents of the tower to let the ghouls in, assisted by Herbert Dashwood, an old adventurer and ghoul-friend. Not all the people agreed though. Some of them even left over it. One of them was Susan, and she ended up in a slave collar on her way to the pen. After getting Tenpenny to open the gates, Chris shot him in the head and left the new human-ghoul community to find its own way. Months later, after he had joined the Brotherhood and destroyed then Enclave, he decided to visit the tower and see how things were going. He soon found that the ghouls had murdered all the humans and claimed Tenpenny Tower, now called Philips tower, as a ghoul haven. A bit of the darkness in Chris woke up that day. He returned with a squad of Brotherhood soldiers and stormed the tower. They dragged Roy Philips out and beheaded him in front of everyone, then mounted his head on a pole in front of the gates. Then they took every tenth guard in the building, some of whom hadn't even been involved in the massacre, and had then kneel in a line at the front door and shot them all in the back of the head. While their bodies were burning on a massive bonfire, Chris turned to the ghouls and told them that this tower was now a haven for human and ghoul alike, and if anything like this ever happened again he would lock the tower down and burn it to the ground with all of them inside. Then he renamed it Dashwood Tower, after Herbert, and left again with his soldiers. A member of the brotherhood still checks up on them every month, and for the last ten years everyone has gotten along great".

Arthur looked Raul right in the eye. The ghoul had a calm expression on his face, not the usual look of horror that story normally brought out in people.

"You want to know what type of man Chris is? He's the kind of man who knows what's right, and is willing to do a lot of bad things to make it happen".

Just then a tiny Securitron wheeled in through the door.

"The guy in the bed just woke up. Do any of you have a mug by any chance?"

Ignoring Muggy's pleas for kitchenware, the group hurried to the medical bay, where they found Chris lying in bed flexing his new robotic arm. Before they could say a word, Wolfe walked in behind them. Chris looked at the Courier, his face set in a visage of determination.

"It's time to take back your city"


	9. Chapter 10

It had been two weeks since Chris had woken from his coma. In that time, he had set up a workshop in the sink, building a new suit of power armor for himself. He'd also been tinkering with designs for a new weapon, Metal Blaster having been crushed and torn apart on the Strip. The armor was made of a saturnite/titanium alloy, making it lightweight, but just as strong as his old suit. The bulky helmet design was sleeked down, the radiation filtration system losing its cords and pipes to an integrated gas mask like apparatus. The armor also left his right arm free, to better utilise the new built-in weaponry. Stealth boy tech in the armor would allow him to use a cloaking field when needed. It was still bigger and heavier than recon armor, which would compromise its effectiveness in sneaking, but every little helps. He was applying the finishing touches, spray-painting and yellow "101" on the chest and Brotherhood insignias and the shoulders, when Wolfe entered. Chris finished his work, looked at the new armor for a moment, then turned.

"How did you do it?".

Wolfe looked at him. They both knew what the Paladin meant. He wanted to know how a courier had infiltrated the lair of one of the best fighting forces in the wasteland and almost single-handedly massacred them all. Wolfe chuckled, and then answered.

"I led a coup".

Chris blinked a few times, unsure if he had heard the courier correctly.

"Yes, a coup. You see, there were a lot of Brotherhood members who weren't happy with the status quo. Knight Lorenzo and Scribe Schuler were two of the most prominent. Between the three of us we managed to convince a large number of the Brotherhood members, especially the younger members, to join the coup. By the time the NCR were demanding the Brotherhood's death, we had just under half of the total membership on our side. Then it was time to strike. First, we made sure that everyone on the upper level was a loyalist. Then, Boone, ED-E and I snuck into the office of the head of security. Paladin Ramos was a good man, it was tough to kill him, but it had to be done. Then we hacked his computer and activated the turret security system, programming it to attack brotherhood members. Within minutes the loyalists had lost half their force. That was the signal for the rebels to begin the attack downstairs. We rushed down to help. I was helped greatly by a weapon called a 'pulse gun'. I was able to use it to fry any loyalists in power armor. Within an hour we had taken the bunker. After the Battle of Hoover Dam, the rebel Knights and Paladins joined up with the Vegas Army, while the Scribes joined up with the Followers of the Apocalypse".

There was silence in the room for a long minute. Chris digested the information he had just learned. The Mojave chapter had survived, in a way, thanks to the Courier. On one hand, Chris was shocked at the apparent ease with which Wolfe had convinced Brotherhood members to turn on each other. On the other hand, he was relieved that some of his comrades had seen sense and adapted to the changing face of the Wasteland.

"So now you know" came a voice from the doorway.

The two men turned to see Veronica standing there, looking at them. Chris glanced back and forth between Veronica and Wolfe, confusion written across his face.

"Veronica knew all along" Wolfe explained. "She feigned ignorance to gauge your reactions, and see if you would use the information I gave you to turn her against me. I'm glad to see you and your companions proved trustworthy".

Chris laughed and smiled at the two, shaking his head at the mechanisms of politics. Veronica walked over to the workbench and picked up Chris's homemade weapon, which looked like a small Tesla Cannon.

"I'm calling it a 'Tesla Rifle'" Chris explained. "It packs a slightly smaller punch than the Cannon, but it makes up for it by being easier to handle and lighter. Plus, I've made sure that the aftershock effect from the Cannon remains. I salvaged a few components, like the stock and trigger, from Metal Blaster. The Tesla Coil came that old Securitron plant. I also reinforced the body with saturnite".

Veronica looked the weapon over. It was quite a piece of work. She knew that back in the day, the Brotherhood would have literally killed for tech like this. Then again, they would have slaughtered anyone and everyone if t meant they could get their hands on what was here in the Big MT. Despite all the death, she was just glad Wolfe had managed to find another solution aside from murdering everyone in the Hidden Valley Bunker.

A radio signal came in to the Central Intelligence Unit. It was Kreger.

"Sir, all the troops are ready to go, awaiting your orders".

Wolfe rushed to the CIU, ready to coordinate the attack.

"Ok, this is the plan. The main army will move out from Hidden Valley and March towards Freeside, engaging any hostiles encountered along the way. Do not, however, deviate from your course. The squadron holed up in the NCR safehouse will rendezvous will the super mutants at Black mountain to retake Camp McCarran, where they can send support to the Strip via the Monorail if needed. The squadron from the Followers safehouse will rendezvous with the super mutants in Jacobstown and the squad in the Remnants Bunker to attack from the North-West, while the squadron from Brotherhood safehouse will rendezvous with the Boomers to attack from the North-East. Finally, we've had reports of Abominations in large numbers at Mojave Outpost and Cottonwood Cove, presumably to the queen can block off people fleeing Vegas. If this goes south, we'll need those routes open so as many civilians as possible can get out. The squadron in the Legion safehouse will liberate Mojave Outpost, hopefully with help from the NCR, and the squadron in the old Brotherhood bunker will liberate Cottonwood Cove. Any questions?"

"What about the Queen, sir?" came the reply.

"She's a narcissist, Judah. She'll be in the Lucky 38. It's the tallest and most important building in Vegas, perfect for her throne room. When you've breached the Strip, send a signal to this frequency, and we'll teleport in and Storm my casino".

"Yes sir!" answered Kreger, and the signal cut out.

Four men, two women, and a robot stood around the now silent CIU. It was time to prepare for war.


	10. Chapter 11

Wolfe had been standing in front of the tank that contained his organic heart for the last three hours. The first time he had travelled to Big MT the Sink's Auto-Doc had removed his brain, heart, and spine and replaced them with advanced technology. Later, he was able to regain his organic brain and spine, with a few upgrades, but chose to keep his technological heart because it made him immune to all poisons and toxins. He knew they were ready. Or at least he hoped they were ready to retake the Strip. Veronica was currently training with her new saturnite power fist. Raul was cleaning his revolver before loading it with specially customised saturnite bullets. The three brotherhood members were sparring to pass the time until the signal came in. Wolfe himself had dug the FIDO cyberdog gun out of storage. He hadn't used it since he'd mown down Lanius at Hoover Dam, but it was still in mint condition. He had it loaded with .44 SWC rounds. He knew what he was doing, he'd been through war before. But six years was a long time out of the battlefield. The Queen's Army was huge and relentless, and who knew how many more innocents she had mutated to swell her ranks? Wolfe focused on his breathing. Remain calm, he told himself. These people look up to you. Do not fuck up. Suddenly, the voice of Kreger spluttered through the CIU.

"We've breached the Strip sir!"

"Everybody to the balcony" roared Wolfe.

The seven made their way outside, linking hands as Wolfe pulled out the Transportalponder. He looked over at Chris, and the two men shared a nod. Then he pulled the trigger.

The group suddenly found themselves in the middle of the fray, just outside the Lucky 38. Wolfe begin firing FIDO into the middle of the Abominations, shredding them with the sheer number of rounds. The Vegas Army was holding up well against the creatures. This time, they weren't caught by surprise, proving that the Abominations were only good for a fast, overwhelming surprise attack.

"Clear a path to the Casino!" roared Wolfe.

The soldiers, hearing the voice of their President and hero, were spurred to more ferocity and fortitude. Just as the Abominations surrounding the Lucky 38 had been cleared, one of them reared up behind Wolfe and bared down on him, only to suddenly melt into a puddle of green goo. Wolfe turned to see Arcade, suited up in his father's Tesla Armour, lowering his Plasma Defender.

"Good to see you're alive Wolfe" he shouted.

"You too Arcade" Wolfe shouted back.

A huge explosion rocked the streets, as Chris and Arthur flung Plasma grenades at the Abominations. Veronica had ducked back into Freeside, presumably to make sure the Followers in the Old Mormon Fort were protected from the battle. Cannibal Johnson approached Wolfe and Arcade, his minigun tearing apart any Abominatins that got too close.

"You need to get inside and find a way to restart the Securitrons, Sir!" he panted. "We're holding them off for now, but there's too many to defeat without the robots, unless you want half the people here to die".

Wolfe merely nodded and signalled Raul, Chris, Arthur and Torch to follow him inside.

More Abominations were swarming around the ground floor. Chris's Tesla rifle made short work of the first one to notice them. After a minute or two the coast was clear. Wolfe undid the harness of FIDO and handed the huge gun to Arthur, explaining how it worked.

"I want you, Torch and Raul to defend that door against any Abominations that try to get in".

Chris nodded at his two Knights, indicating that they should go along with the orders. Then Wolfe turned to Chris.

"You and I will take the elevator to the penthouse and put an end to the Queen".

As he said this, Wolfe pulled out his silenced 10mm SMG, Sleepytyme, and Blood-Nap. ED-E followed the two men into the elevator as both checked their weapons were fully loaded. The elevator ride seemed to take an eternity, the silence inside only accentuated by the sounds of the battle outside. Soon, they reached the penthouse and burst forth, weapons at the ready. What they found was not a nest of Abominations, the Queen sitting smugly at their centre. Instead, they were greeted by the sight of five humans, two men and three women, standing around the giant computer.

"Who are you?!" roared Wolfe.

One of the men turned to face them.

"We are the Queen's chosen ones. We showed her such worship that it was her will that we remain human, to better watch over her Kingdom. I assume you came to kill her and take what is rightfully hers? Well you have failed. She is not here, she is safe from your bullets and knifes. Even if you take the Strip today, she will rebuild and return. She cannot be stopped, Wolfe Hunter".

Wolfe sighed, the quick as lightning threw Blood-Nap at the man, lodging the Bowie knife in his throat.

"Now" he said, strolling over and pulling Blood-Nap out of its latest victim, "Does anyone want to tell me where she is?".

The four remaining 'Chosen Ones' exchanged glances, then folding their arms in an act of defiance.

"So be it" muttered Wolfe, raising Sleepytyme and gunning them down.

After the last one had stopped twitching, Wolfe pulled out a holotape and inserted it into a slot on the computer.

"What's that?" asked Chris, still slightly shocked at Wolfe's sudden violence. Even in the heat of battle, the Courier had always come across as level-headed.

"It's a backup file for Yes Man" came the answer.

Even as Wolfe spoke the computer lit up, and a huge smiling face appeared.

"Thank God you got had that file Sir, being offline isn't really fun I must say"

"Yes Man, I need you to reactivate all of the Securitron units right now" ordered Wolfe.

Moments later, the Strip was filled with the sound of cheering. Under the combined pressure of the human and super mutant soldiers and the Securitrons, the Abominations were being torn to pieces. The Battle of the Strip was over twenty minutes later. Chris put his hand on Wolfe's shoulder and spoke.

"I told you we'd take back your city"

"It means nothing if we can't find the Queen" Wolfe growled in response.

He walked over and kicked the corpse of the first chosen one in frustration.

"He was right. She'll rebuild her Army and she'll come back. She won't let us taking back Vegas go without retaliation. I can't rest easy until she's been tracked down and given a bullet to the head".

At that moment, Yes Man spoke up in his consistently cheery voice.

"Funny you should mention that. See, while my AI was shut down by that virus the guy with the Mohawk uploaded, the computer actually remained active. And those guys you killed there were using it to send and receive messages from someone they addressed as 'The Queen'. While you guys were watching the Army winning the battle down there, I was tracking down the sources of the received messages. Ain't that neat?"

Wolfe rushed to the computer screen, a glimmer of hope in his voice as he nearly begged the AI.

"Where is she, Yes Man?!"

"The messages came from an overseer's computer in the sealed off vault east of here. Vault 34".

Wolfe looked up at Chris. Even with his power helmet on, he could tell the Paladin was grinning.

"We've got her" Wolfe grinned back. "We've got the bitch"


	11. Chapter 12

Five figures stood outside the entrance to Vault 34. Unlike the other vaults in the region, it had been decided that the radiation flooding the entire complex rendered it inhospitable, so to avoid it becoming a nest of ghouls the Vegas Government had sealed it off. The Queen had clearly removed the debris from the small rockslide that had been used to seal the entrance. Wolfe and ED-E had accompanied Chris, Arthur and Torch on the final leg of their mission. Raul had insisted on coming too, but Wolfe had convinced him to help hunt down the remaining Abominations in the Wasteland and liberate more communities. Wolfe had left most of his weapons back at the Lucky 38, aside from Blood-Nap, which was sheathed on his hip. In his hands was his Brush gun, Medicine Stick, loaded with .45-70 Gov't SWC rounds. Arthur had his Plasma pistol at the ready, while Torch was doing some last minute cleaning of her Shock Sword. Chris's Tesla rifle had proven to be a formidable weapon during the Battle, he just hoped it would keep holding up. Cottonwood Cove and Mojave Outpost had both been cleared of Abominations and were already flooded with refugees, waiting to see if the Queen would launch a counter-strike against Vegas.

"You know" said Wolfe, breaking the silence, "according to pre-war superstition, a medicine stick was used to banish evil spirits".

Chris turned to the Courier. Although he was called the 'Lone Wanderer" back in D.C, he had never been so glad to have someone by his side. Wolfe held up his gun, showing the Native American symbols on the stock.

"I don't know about the spirit part, but this baby is going to banish the fuck out of the Queen".

All four of them grinned, with ED-E's beeping almost sounding like laughter. The time for joking passed, and they set forward into the vault.

It was quiet just inside the vault, almost too quiet. It was a whole five minutes before they came across their first Abomination. Torch had taken the vanguard, her stealth suit activated, and cut down the creature from behind. They were on the second floor when it happened. The group entered a large open area, and Abominations began pouring in. Chris fired into the swarm, electricity arcing off the one he hit and momentarily stunning the ones around it. Wolfe's methodical shots reverberated around the room, each one a head-shot. All around Abominations were either disintegrating from ED-E's laser blasts, melting from Arthur's Plasma Pistol, or dropping to the ground with severed limbs, courtesy of Torch and her Shock Sword. At one point, an Abomination knocked Medicine Stick from Wolfe's hands, but before it could finish its attack, he pulled out Blood-Nap and drove it between the creature's eyes. He then ducked under another Abomination's swinging claws to retrieve his gun and blew the things brains out. Eventually, all the Abominations in the room were dead, but the sound of screeching from down a hallway indicated that there were more coming. Chris pulled out a strange device. It looked like a rusty tin can with a few wires and a radiation symbol painted on the side.

"Cooked this up at the Lucky 38 before we left, just in case" he explained.

Pulling the pin from the Nuka-grenade, he tossed it down the hallway that was the source of the screeching, just as they glimpsed the Abominations rounding a corner. A brilliant blue flash was accompanied by a huge bang and a chorus of death screams as the Abominations were engulfed in nuclear fire. At last, the vault had returned to silence. Wolfe popped a Rad-X and retrieved Blood-Nap. Before he could ask Chris what was in the grenade, the group heard a faint cry for help. Following the voices, they found themselves in the living quarters of the vault. Several doors were emitting a pounding sound, and a woman's voice spoke out from one.

"We heard gunshots! Is there someone there? Please, please help us!"

"We're here" shouted Chris, rushing over to the door "We'll get you out, I promise"

He turned to the others before saying

"How do we get them out?"

"You could try picking the locks with your finger?" suggested Arthur.

"That will take too long" said Wolfe "And if I remember correctly, this terminal here has an override for all the living quarters' doors. It's been reset, but if you give me a minute I might be able to hack it".

Chris walked over to the terminal, pushing Wolfe out of the way, and punched the computer screen. The EMP burst released from his fist fried the electronics, and suddenly all the doors began to slide open.

"That works too" shrugged Wolfe.

People began pouring out of the dorms they'd been locked in. Tears of joy were streaming down some of their faces, others still had expressions of fear. In total, there must have been at least thirty or forty wastelanders jammed into the rooms together.

"Head up to the surface, the path should be clear" Wolfe told them "when you get outside, head northwest until you reach the gates of Freeside. You'll be safe there with the Followers".

After all the prisoners were clear, the group continued their trek through the vault, dispatching any Abominations they encountered along the way. Eventually, they stood outside the overseer's office. Chris paused before he entered. This was it. The end of the road. Complete the mission or die trying. He looked at Arthur, then Torch, and finally Wolfe. All three of them nodded. The Paladin took a deep breath, readied his Tesla rifle, and barged through the door. To his surprise, there were no Abominations in the room. Only the Queen, sitting at the overseer's desk like she didn't have a care in the world. Chris was shocked for a moment. She still looked like the same Julie Carpenter that he'd seen strolling around the Citadel laboratory, with one exception. Her eyes were pitch black, like the aliens he'd fought 10 years ago. She looked at him and smiled. It was a cruel smile, full of malice. All at once Chris's nostalgia was forgotten. The holotape she'd left had been right. Julie Carpenter was dead. The woman he'd known was gone, and the Queen was all that remained.

He walked over and grabbed her, pinning her against the vault wall. She only laughed.

"You think you have me beat Wanderer? You think this is the end? Take me back to the Citadel then. Let me stand trial for my crimes in front of pretty little Sarah. After sending you all the way across America to capture me, I'm sure she'll want to gloat over your success. When I get out, she'll be the first I turn into one of my children. Then maybe all your little kiddies will follow her. Then the rest of the Brotherhood. After that, I'll hunt down everyone you ever cared about, and I'll kill them or I'll turn them. Even that Super Mutant, Fawkes. Do you know what happens when I try to turn a Super Mutant? They melt hahaha. Guess the strains of FEV don't mix well. I think I'll make you watch it. Then I'll turn you too. And after I'm done with the Capital Wasteland, I'll return to Vegas and make your friend over there pay"

She sounded gleeful. She truly thought she was invincible, that the entire universe would bend to her will. Chris knew that she had a point though. If the FEV in her system worked like the super mutants, it would stop her aging. She had all the time in the world to plan, to plot, and to dream of her revenge.

"There's one little problem with your plan though" he said.

The Queen stopped laughing and looked at him. Despite her blank black eyes he could see the flash of worry that crossed her face. She hadn't prepared for any variable to her plan.

"Sarah didn't send me to capture you" he continued "She sent me to eliminate you".

He saw her face drop, terror enter her eyes, and her mouth open to speak. Before she could utter a word, he rammed his right palm into her chin, his robotic stinger darting out. It went through the skin and flesh under her jaw, and continued up until it pierced her brain. The Queen made a gurgling noise as the stinger retracted, and Chris stepped away, letting her body fall to the ground. As she began to shake violently, he turned to his companions.

"Tough bitch, the stinger to the brain didn't kill her completely. Looks like the Tremble is going to finish the job though".

When the body finally stopped twitching, he borrowed Torch's laser pistol and used it to set the body on fire. It was only when the Queen had been burned to ash that he agreed to leave the vault.

Back at the Lucky 38, Chris, Arthur and Torch were sitting it the Penthouse with Wolfe, sharing a Bottle of scotch. The four laughed as Arthur attempted to smoke one of Wolfe's cigars and descended into a fit of coughing. When the Queen had died, the hive mind of the Abominations dies with her. All across the Mojave, the creatures suddenly dropped dead. Vegas was finally safe. Wolfe spoke up.

"Now that your mission has been completed, I'm assuming you'll be returning to D.C?"

The three brotherhood members nodded.

"We're still at war with the Outcasts" replied Chris "But I'm sure we can stay for one more night and enjoy your hospitality".

Wolfe smiled at that. He had grown to view the Paladin as a sort of brother. Both men had a burning fire in them, a flame of justice. He wished Chris could have met Joshua before he left. He had a feeling the Burned Man would get along with the Wanderer.

"Well just let me know in you need anything. All the Casinos on the Strip have been told that you three drink for free while you're here".

"Sounds like a plan" piped up Torch, the statement greeted with smiles form Arthur and Chris.

Later that night Wolfe brought them to see the Rad Pack play at the Tops Casino. He and Chris stayed at the bar for hours, swapping stories of their adventures. Arthur and Torch disappeared earlier. They said something about wanting to get a taste of all the Casinos on the Strip. Eventually, Chris decided to head back to the Lucky 38. Wolfe bid him goodnight, but also said he was staying among the many soldiers also enjoying themselves at the casino. A commander congratulating his troops on a battle well fought. When Chris got back to the Lucky 38, he took the elevator to his floor, and stepped out of the door just in time to see Torch drag Arthur into her room by the collar. He stifled a laugh and made his way to his own room. Sitting on his bed, he just stared at the photo of his family. It would be good to get home and see them. With his mind filled with images of Sarah and their children, his head hit the pillow and he feel fast asleep.

The next morning they began loading the Vertibird. Chris had to bit his tongue to stop himself giggling at the tense awkwardness between Arthur and Torch. Wolfe soon arrived to bid them farewell. His voice was groggy and he was wearing sunglasses to protect his hungover eyes from the bright Mojave sun. The two men shook hands.

"The D.C Brotherhood always has an ally in Vegas, Chris" said Wolfe.

"Likewise," returned Chris "and hopefully next time I'm over here it will be for a friendly visit rather than business".

They all laughed at the joke, and then the Paladin and his two knights took their places on the Vertibird. As it took off, Wolfe saluted them from the roof of the embassy and they returned the gesture. Each of them knew that a lasting alliance had been formed from this crisis. The Courier and the Wanderer, two heroes from opposite sides of a continent, now bound together by shared admiration and mutual respect. Chris sat back against his seat. Vegas was safe one again. Now it was time to return home. The next time he saw Wolfe Hunter, he wanted to be able to say that the Capital Wasteland was just as prosperous as the Mojave.

The End.


End file.
